Chelsea Flower Show 2013: Zara Phillips is the first of the royals to arrive
Zara Phillips was the first of the royals to arrive today for a sneak preview of the Chelsea Flower Show today ahead of tomorrow's grand opening.
The young royal had a look at the world famous show which other members of the royal family - including the Queen - are expected to view this week.
As the event celebrates its centenary this year, Zara, wearing white jeans, a black jacket and heeled ankle boots, was happy to cut a cake to mark the occasion.
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Getting the party started: Zara Phillips cuts the cake as the Chelsea Flower show celebrates its 100th birthdayMore birthdays: Zara Philips sits on a lawnmower to celebrate 50 years of John Deere, and right, beauty: A Papaver commutatum Ladybird plant Right at home: The outdoorsy Royal looked at ease atop the mower Pampas yourself: A women wearing a dress of fresh flowers designed by Zita Elze poses for photographers in the M&A Centenary Garden Gnome fever takes over: With the 100 year rule banning so-called 'mythical characters' relaxed for the first time, numerous figurines cropped up around the exhibition area A-list gnomes: Garden gnomes, one of which, wearing glasses, was designed by British musician Elton John Unusual: Contortionist performance lizards at the Trailfinders Australian Garden presented by Fleming's In the pink: Joanna Lumley celebrates 100 years of the famous flower show as she attends today's sneak preview
Blooming gorgeous: The actress, dressed in a vivid pink outfit, inspected some of the beautiful blooms that had managed to grow despite the cold weather of late
The other Royal visitor: Dame Helen Mirren, currently starring as the Queen in a West End play, took in the gardens today Where's the cycle track? Victoria Pendleton in the Australia garden entitled After The Fire
Great Chelsea bake off: Jamie Oliver is one of the celebs at the show today and gave a demonstration in how to use an outdoor oven
Horsing around: Maureen Lipman at a colourful rocking horse stand, left, and right, does it pass the Dragon's test? Deborah Meaden inspects a watering gadget
Walking on the wild side: Jerry Hall looking glamorous in leopard print pumps, left, and right, getting into the spirit: Model David Gandy channels rural chic in waxed jacket
True blues: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and wife Jackie, left, and right, esteemed guests: Ben Fogle with wife Marina English roses: Kirstie Allsopp, left, and Emilia Fox wearing a dress from Luisa Beccarias's SS13 collection at the show There rain or shine: Former Beatle Ringo Starr, left, was on hand to open the WaterAid garden while comedian Rob Brydon was prepared for wet weather with his umbrella Smile: Singer Lily Cooper posed for a picture she she browsed the show in a casual denim dress and cat face ballet pumps Inspiration: Lily was delighted to see a flower named after her Time for tea: Mary Berry joins Lynda Bellingham, left, and Ruth Langsford at the Homebase 'Sowing the seeds of Change' garden, in support of Alzheimer's Society Blossoming: The 'Sowing the seeds of Change' show-garden was created by gardener Adam Frost
Prince Harry popped into the show before it opened last week to see how a garden close to his heart was growing. He is set to return this week to show his grandmother, patron of show organisers the Royal Horticultural Society, around the B&Q Sentebale Forget-me-not garden that has been created by his charity.
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The show garden was created by renowned landscape gardener Jinny Blom for Sentebale, which helps vulnerable children in Lesotho. She said Harry had been 'passionately' involved in the design process - even having preliminary drawings sent to him for approval while he was serving in Afghanistan.
The garden is intended to represent the mountainous landscape of Lesotho as well as its people and is also a tribute to Prince Harry's late mother Princess Diana..
The Chelsea Flower Show will open to the public tomorrow and run for five days. A number of celebrities made the most of the opportunity to have a sneak preview today with those attending including Joanna Lumley, Helen Mirren and Ringo Starr.
Spring wardrobes: Esther Rantzen, left, and Katie Melua kept to the floral theme with their choice of clothing Work of art: Lucy Ellis wears a flower hat and seeded dress inspired by the artworks of Van GoghTo mark the centenary, many gardens draw inspiration from shows of yesteryear - with others looking firmly to the future, including one that reacts to messages sent on Twitter.
The landmark year has also led to the lifting of the usual ban on ornamental gnomes - ordinarily, the Chelsea Flower Show has a strict ban on gnomes 'and other brightly-coloured mythical creatures'.
More than 500 exhibitors spent the weekend putting the finishing touches to the 15 show gardens, 19 smaller gardens and 150 exhibits that make up the 2013 show. The annual show has taken place almost every year since 1913 when the Great Spring Show took place at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.
The first show was staged in a single tent and included 244 exhibitors, less than half of today’s numbers. It cost the Royal Horticultural Society £3,365 to stage and made a profit of £88.
However, TV presenter and gardener Alan Titchmarsh has issued a stark warning that the Chelsea Flower Show as people currently know it would cease to exist if more young people did not take up careers in horticulture.
Recent research suggested many young people thought a career in horticulture was only for those who failed academically and that it was an unskilled profession.
He said the industry was 'rotten' at PR and that the centenary of the flower show was a chance to demonstrate that those who were involved in horticulture were not thick, dull, unadventurous or incapable of doing anything else.
He said: 'We have the best jobs in the world - growing plants, designing gardens, managing open spaces, feeding the population, looking after historic trees and famous gardens, conducting scientific research into plant breeding, pests and diseases, collecting plants in far-flung parts of the globe, writing and broadcasting about our passion - the list goes on, 60 different areas at least, by my reckoning.
'And yet our role is undervalued by Government, by the population and by young people in particular - in every instance because they just do not understand the breadth of what we do and its importance in terms of the wellbeing of the planet and its population.'
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